


Coffee & Eggs

by bioticfox (ayambik)



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, ME3, Venko, pre-ME3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-25 11:52:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13833696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ayambik/pseuds/bioticfox
Summary: Several months into his appointment at the Vancouver base, James finally has some time to get to know the city (and its inhabitants).





	Coffee & Eggs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DalishGrey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DalishGrey/gifts).



> I hope this fulfils your prompt satisfactorily, DalishGrey. I might not have gotten to *all* of it, but I think I covered most of it ^^;; Hope you enjoy :)
> 
> Big thanks to [Potionsmaster](http://archiveofourown.org/users/potionsmaster/pseuds/potionsmaster) for once again being my Spec Reqs beta, though I tweaked it about after she'd gone through, so any and all errors are mine alone.

Vancouver was a beautiful city. The air was crisp and clean, refreshing in every sense of the word. Well, compared to the stale, recycled crap on Omega, anyway. James was approximately 124% less likely to get stabbed walking the streets here, too, which was always a bonus. If he had been given a choice he’d take the warmth of California and the feeling of _home_ any day, but this Canadian metropolis was fast becoming his second favourite city on Earth (after San Diego, of course). He'd give credit where credit was due, though; the beer was better here. The local cuisine certainly beat the Alliance’s idea of food, too, and he definitely intended to make the most of it while he still could.

Guard duty had been rotated to secondary service personnel and Shepard was officially under someone else’s watch, leaving James with a rare evening off to explore. No real destination in mind, he wandered along the streets, putting his feet to the concrete and seeing where they led him. The sky grew dusky grey as he walked, rolling clouds imitating powerful images of old gods, the lights of the city twinkling to life in a stark contrast to the ominous heavens. The next corner led James to a semi-open square, hemmed in by buildings of Alliance and Canadian authorities alike, tall and grand to reflect the importance of their occupants. The skyscrapers were interspersed with offices (high end and ultra-modern, the kind where you could rent a cubicle for half a days wage and be told you were getting a good deal), and mixed with cafes and restaurants that, judging by the prices, made a fortune selling organic roast coffee to the caffeine addicts and half-asleep workers of the neighbourhood.

James raised his hand to his mouth and blew warm air over his fingers to regain a little feeling, the tips having dipped just below the numb side of too cold. He had half a mind to make a pit stop for one of those coffees himself, for the warmth if nothing else. A quaint looking cafe door to the left piqued his interest, an old fashioned glass sliding thing, spilling light from inside the coffee shop out over the pavement. A quick glance inside presented him with cozy chairs arranged around vintage and mismatched tables, and an overabundance of polished wood and autumn-coloured drapery. Not his usual kind of place, but he'd try anything once. He moved to push open the door, palm flat on the glass, when a blue streak reflected in the pane caught his attention, and he turned back to the square behind him.

In its centre sat a small, neatly trimmed grass green. Formally planted borders filled with various shrubs and colourful florals lined the sides, and several trees were dotted along the straight-edged paths. James counted four people standing next to the closest bed of flowers. Two wore Alliance logos on their armour, the other two boasted advanced civilian wares. Their voices carried over the short distance, a low murmur that James couldn’t quite make out, but the hair stood up on the back of his neck and his fingers twitched towards his pistol. Something wasn’t quite right. He’d had enough training to know that, but nothing about the relaxed demeanor of either the soldiers or the civilians gave the game away.

He held his breath, debating whether to walk over and make himself known as Alliance personnel. He had his pistol, and a personal shield, but he wasn’t exactly fully equipped or armoured, nor did he have any idea what was actually going on. For all he knew if he walked over there he would just be exacerbating the situation. Deciding to leave it alone, but keep one eye on it from inside, he placed his hand back on the glass, doorbell chiming as he began to push it open. The glass shattered before he registered the loud crack of a gunshot behind him. Soldier’s instincts had him rolling to cover before the second shot. A third followed.

‘So much for just talking,’ he thought, activating his shield from behind a parked skycar, pistol already in hand. ‘Nothing like gunfire to liven up an evening.’

From his position, James saw the shooter in civilian armour, but it seemed to be a 5th person, not one of the original group. One Alliance soldier had found cover behind a large oak, and sent a burst of return fire across the grass. James spotted the other soldier on the ground wrestling with one of the original men, a cloud of dust around them. A blue flare streaked across James’ vision. The soldier flung biotic attack after attack, the other’s limbs grappling for purchase in the dirt. The second civilian the soldiers had been talking to was gone. ‘No, _going_ ,’ James amended. A figure ran through the square, squashing the flowers underfoot. He was making a break for it.

James broke cover to intercept the fleeing man, colliding on the corner of the square. The tackle had them both smashing against the pavement, man vs muscle, bones vs concrete. The concrete won. There was a loud crack, and the scream of the would-be escapee followed. James used the distraction to his advantage, pinning the man down, and punching him straight in the jaw. Another scream rang in James’ ears, so loud that he almost missed the silence falling over the square. The shooter was down.

The first Alliance soldier moved in to secure the fallen gunman, whether alive or dead James didn’t know, and the second controlled a few biotic fields to secure a now unconscious criminal. James wondered if the blue flash that had first caught his attention had been this man’s biotics, or if it had been the man himself in his deep blue armour. He definitely could have caught Vega’s eye, all on his own, armour or not. He was something, alright. And he was now walking in James’ direction.

“Lucky you were in the neighbourhood,” he said, kneeling down besides James and moving to help secure the would be escapee, more blue biotics flaring to life and ensnaring the man in their grip. “Thanks for the help.”

“Yeah….Well….” James said. The man’s voice vibrated enticingly in James’ ears and all coherent thought left him at the sound of it. He mentally kicked himself to get his brain back in gear. “Right place, right time, I guess. I _was_ gonna get coffee, but...” he gestured at the newly-appeared ‘closed’ sign still swinging slightly in the cafe window. The staff had made a very hasty retreat. Not that he blamed them. Glass shards littered the street, reflections of blue biotics dancing over them. This kind of area, the staff were probably much more used to the white collar kind of crime. No guns. He looked back to find warm brown eyes meeting his own and he quirked a smile at the other man. ”A little adrenaline in place of caffeine never hurt, right?”

The corner of the other man’s mouth ticked up in a half grin, and James counted that as more of a victory than apprehending the crook. He wanted to bring his fingers to that smile, to feel the curvature of the man’s lips under his hand. The man was beautiful, dark hair and soulful eyes, and a chiseled jaw that gave James the urge to kiss and bite his way along it. No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than the other man’s eyes turned hard, a frown appearing on his face. Had he been staring too much? Crap.

“Are you alright?” the mysterious biotic asked, concerned, eyes roaming James’ body, lingering on a few unconventional spots.

“I'm not a civilian,” James frowned. He appreciated the concern, but he’d seen a lot worse in the field. Sirens sounded in the background, and James turned to see a police car pulling up over the other side of the square.

“I can tell, soldier,” the man smiled at him again, eyes crinkling at the corners in response to James’ confusion. Soldiers normally could tell each other apart from the suits and civilians in the area. “But you’re not exactly outfitted for fieldwork. And you _are_ bleeding.”

James blinked. He hadn’t realised. _Adrenaline._ James looked down to where the other man’s gaze had landed. Blood trickled down the side of his arm, and now he’d noticed it the warm stickiness clawed at the back of his mind, a wet, gritty feeling where it mixed with the dirt and soot from the street. A quick check of the rest of his body revealed a bad graze along his skin from where he had landed during the tackle, several cuts from the struggle, and he was sure to have a multitude of nasty bruises in the morning, but the arm was the worst.

“This little thing?” he joked, brushing away the blood, smearing it along his arm, simultaneously feeling the concerned pressure of the other man’s gaze. “Nothing to worry about. Barely worth noticing.”

“Hm. Maybe. But I am a field medic. You’re not leaving until I at _least_ fix you up with some medigel.” The man looked James over once again. James could feel the heat rising on the back of his neck at the attention, but he noted with pride that the other man had a slight tinge to his cheeks as well.

“Well,” he said after beat studying the man’s face. “I wouldn’t complain.”

A shadow fell over them. A police officer arrived with a paramedic to apprehend the man James had tackled. Whether he was going to jail or the hospital, James didn’t know. Hopefully the hospital, but then again, James didn’t know why he had been trying to run in the first place. They both stood, and James considered asking, but the biotic reached out to take a better look at James’ arm. James shivered at the feel of the other man’s fingers, goosebumps rising at the touch. He’d blame it on the cool medigel, if asked, and definitely not on the skilled hands brushing over his skin.

“And, well, before you go, I do need your contact details.” The other man smiled, cocking his head in the direction the officer had gone, though his cheeks burned a slightly deeper red. “In case I need your statement in the reports… and in case you’d ever like to go out for coffee sometime. I owe you, at the very least. I promise not to scare away the staff, next time.”

James dipped his head to hide his grin. At least he wasn’t alone in his interest. He tapped away at his omni-tool, transferring over his ID card.

“Received from Lieutenant Vega,” the biotic confirmed, saving the data to his own omni-tool. “Nice to meet you, Lieutenant.”

“James,” he said, watching the way those brown eyes softened at the implication. “If we’re going for coffee, then it’s James.”

“James, huh? Then I’m Kaidan.”

“Sir!” The police officer called, waving Kaidan over.

“I - err…” Kaidan cleared his throat, gesturing back to the square. There was still work to be done. “I have to go and, um…”

“Sure. Sure. Thanks for the medigel. I’ll… see you later?”

“Yeah. Definitely.” He quirked a last grin in James’ direction before heading over to his where his squadmate stood with the officer dealing with their attackers, two ambulances on scene for the injured parties. James watched for a moment. Kaidan was clearly the one in command, from the way he carried himself, the way he interacted with his team. James thought it was beautiful to watch, so he let his eyes linger a moment more, before he turned away and headed back the way he had come.

 

\---

 

“Major Alenko, are you sure your team is ready?”

He sighed internally. He’d been sure the last time they’d had this meeting, three weeks ago. He was damn sure now. As sure as he’d been four months ago that eventful day in the square, with a fucked up mission and the number of a cute, brave soldier newly saved in his contacts. James had been his rock ever since. After every bad day, James was the one he could depend on to turn it around. In return, he’d been James’ soft place to land when James had been worked down to the bone.

“With respect, Ma’am, they’ve jumped through all the hoops. Everything you’ve asked of them to prove they’re capable, they’ve done it. And if you review those papers, you’ll see the results you want.”

The three committee members glanced at the stack he’d placed on their desk when he’d walked in. It wasn’t a brief summary. He’d been thorough. Less chance they’d refuse him that way. He’d been hoping for a clear answer today, but, barring a miracle, he’d never get them to change their minds before they had a chance to look over the reports. Still, they hadn't flat out refused; that was a positive sign. He could be patient.

“Thank you, Major. We will review them shortly. You are dismissed.”

He saluted, as a good soldier should, and left the meeting room, heading down the hall. His kids were good at their job, good soldiers and better biotics. The brass just needed to trust them. Maybe that was the problem, he mused, maybe they _didn’t_ trust a team of young biotics, no matter how skilled.

The wall of noise hit him as he opened the door to the foyer, loud voices bouncing from the walls and footsteps echoing heavily in Kaidan’s ears. A woman bumped into him as she tried to squeeze by in a hurry, not even stopping to apologise, but shouting over her shoulder as she rounded the corner and disappeared. He frowned. He’d known that _something_ was happening this morning, his unit having been put on standby pending the results of the meeting, but he didn’t know what, and he certainly hadn’t expected so much activity so soon. He scanned the room for someone who might have the information (and the clearance) to tell him what was going on, and he grinned when he spotted the ridiculously tight grey Special Forces t-shirt James _insisted_ on wearing. Two steps towards his boyfriend was all it took for him to realise who James was talking to. He hadn’t seen Shepard in a long time and certainly hadn’t known James knew the Commander, but there they were, shaking hands and talking like old friends. He would recognise his former CO anywhere. The smile fell off his face.

“Anderson.” Kaidan greeted the Admiral when he eventually noticed his approach, receiving a nod in return. They’d spoken more recently at least, maintaining a professional, yet strained relationship after Shepard’s death. He glanced back over to James, took a breath, and called Shepard’s name.

It wasn’t as awkward as it could have been, considering the last time they saw each other face to face had been on Horizon.

“How’d it go in there, Major?” asked Anderson. Kaidan blinked and turned his attention back to his superior. The other two moved to join them, and Kaidan was thankful for James’ presence. James made him feel safe. Someone he could lean on, even if only figuratively at this present moment.

“Okay, I think. Hard to know. I’m just waiting for orders now.”

Kaidan had just been assuming someone else would tell Shepard about his promotion. Apparently not. It hadn’t been his intention to make Shepard feel out of the loop, as it were, but he’d found it difficult to keep contact, after their last heated words with each other.

“I’m sure you had your reasons,” Shepard mused, when Kaidan apologised. Kaidan couldn’t place Shepard’s tone, but no doubt they were both remembering their last encounter, and not fondly.

“Yeah I suppose I did. Still, it’s good to see you,” Kaidan added, the best response he could come up with. A flustered soldier appeared at the Admiral’s side, and whisked Shepard and Anderson away down the hall, leaving Kaidan and James watching their retreating forms. Not the best encounter Kaidan had ever had, but a smile and a nod was an improvement on blistering anger and a bubbling current of betrayal.

“You know the Commander?” James soft voice cut through the background noise, bringing the increasing alliance chatter into sharp focus again.

“I used to,” he said, glancing briefly at James and offering a barely there smile.

“Old friends?”

“I guess. I served with Shepard on the original Normandy. In the fight against Saren and the Geth.” Kaidan looked back along the hall once more, seeing the final retreat of his former Commander and Admiral Anderson. Kaidan remembered a time when he would be walking down that hall by their side.

“I didn’t know that, Blue,” said James, bringing Kaidan back to the present, away from the memories of the past. More recent memories were much more preferable, anyway. The sheer ridiculousness of their first date had Kaidan smiling every time he thought about it. They had dealt with the mandatory small talk, a half-spilt drink, and an uncomfortable encounter with a slightly tipsy passer-by all in the first twenty minutes.

“No reason you would, particularly. It’s not something I talk about often.” Kaidan turned to face him. No time for zoning out and reminiscing when there was work to be done. “There’s some good memories, but some bad ones, too. I’m still not sure if Shepard is the person I remember, or…” Kaidan frowned as a soldier shouted to get the attention of a young LT before she left the building.

“Or?” James mirrored Kaidan's expression, looking over his shoulder at the crowd jostling by.

“A story for another time, perhaps,” Kaidan said. Another soldier all but ran by, deep in conversation with someone on her omni-tool. Two high ranking officials stood at the door, clearly expecting news. It wasn’t the time or place for this conversation.

“Over dinner tonight? We still on for that?”

“Yes,” Kaidan replied instantly, melting with relief at the suggestion. “Erm, unless my orders come through before that, then yes. Definitely. I’ll cook.”

James raised his eyebrows and smirked. “You think you can top my eggs the other morning?”

“I look forward to trying,” Kaidan chuckled. The eggs had been good in flavour, though cold by the time they got around to eating them. The fact that James had been naked might have had something to do with that.

“Well, I look forward to eating it.” James’ smirk turned into a full blown grin, even as he turned and nodded over to the door. He had to wait for Shepard, and Kaidan had work to do, so they said their goodbyes. Kaidan wanted to lean in and kiss him, though he couldn’t, not in the hall surrounded by other soldiers. It would be unprofessional, though their relationship wasn’t a secret, nor against the rules. But still, Kaidan wanted to. And he knew in that moment, as he slowly turned to leave with the promise of _I’ll see you later,_ that no matter what the future would bring, no matter his orders, right here and now, he was happy.


End file.
